"Izuku, honey, are you alright?" my Mom asked as soon as I was through the door.
"I'm fine, Mom," I told her, unable to keep a grin off my face. Not only had I gotten to sit next to a cute girl for much of bus ride home. After Asui-san exited, I was able to check my Status. I was more than pleased with my improvements after the day of training. I guessed I was still below average physically, and the higher my attributes got, the harder it would be to improve them further. But if I could keep this going...
"But your Health kept going up and down," she said worriedly, "And then it took that huge drop about an hour and a half ago."
"It went up any time my attributes improved," I reminded her, "and sometimes I missed and hit the trees, so I took some damage. But I got a damage reduction skill out of it. And remember, as long as I'm above zero Health, I'm okay."
"As I recall," she said a bit sharply, "As long as you are above half Health, you are okay. Below that, you actually get injured. And even if they aren't terrible, and you can heal completely overnight, I don't want you getting too close to zero."
Even at zero, I would have been technically fine. The manual called it 'incapacitated'. I would probably get knocked out with my current Endurance. If it was higher, I might remain awake, just not able to move quickly or think clearly. It was when my Health, or anyone's really, went below zero that it was an issue.
I wouldn't actually die until I had negative health greater than my Endurance. Like right now, I would still be alive up to negative eight HP. But at negative nine... The problem was, at negative one Health, you got the 'Dying' condition. Which meant you kept losing Health. How quickly depended on how far below zero you were. Like if a guy with 100 Endurance was at negative one HP, it might take him and hour or two to go down to negative 2. But if I was at minus eight, it would only be seconds before I lost that last point.
"Why did you suddenly take so much damage?" she demanded.
"Well," my smile resurfaced, "I wasn't the only one training in the forest. The branch the other person was hanging from broke, and I just happened to be close enough to catch her."
"You caught her?" my Mom wore a conspiratorial grin.
"For a second," I confirmed, "Then we fell and I hit my back pretty hard. My tracksuit didn't look damaged, but it lost a lot of durability."
Her expression darkened.
"Shirt off," she ordered immediately. I complied, grimacing slightly.
"Izuku," she chided me, "Your back is a giant bruise."
"I couldn't just let her fall," I argued softly.
"I know, honey," she agreed gently, "it's just..."
"And now I know her, and we talked about training together," I told Mom after she trailed off, "So we can help and look out for each other."
"I suppose that's a good thing," Mom said thoughtfully, as she to the kitchen and back, "But I'll be wanting to meet this girl."
"Mom," I complained. Okay, whined.
"Here," she said, "Ibuprofen. Then we'll have dinner, and you can get to bed early. Rest from today and let your power patch you up."
"And I can still go back after school tomorrow?" I prompted.
"Yes, you can keep training," Mom confirmed, "Just, please, try to be careful."
"I will."
"Izuku, honey," my Mom caught me before I left for school the next morning, "I want you to take this, keep it in your Inventory. Just in case."
She handed me a large first-aid kit. I accepted it and stored it without complaint.
"Good afternoon, Asui-san," I jogged over to her after getting off the bus, and sketched a quick bow.
"Good afternoon, Midoriya-san," she nodded to me, "And call me Tsuyu."
"But you didn't call me Izuku," I pointed out.
"You didn't ask me to," she reminded me.
"I guess not," I agreed, "but I am now. If I'm going to call you by your given name, please call me by mine."
"Okay, Izuku-kun," she smiled slightly. I grinned happily at her.
"So where do you want to start Tsuyu-chan?" I asked her.
"Do you want to go first?" she asked back, "Show me some martial arts?"
"Okay," I said, "I should warn you, I'm a bit of a beginner, too. But I'll be happy to show you what I know. How do you normally fight?"
"I focus on kicks, mostly. And my tongue, which I'm guessing your style wouldn't cover."
"Well, it could be like a punch," I mused, "though the movements aren't the same. Still, if we consider good places for upper body strikes..."
"Can I ask you something?" Tsuyu queried me on the bus trip back. After working on karate for a while, and help her with her stances and blocking, we switched to free running though the woods. Tsuyu pointed out how to aim for the flattest areas of the trees, and time my kickoffs. We raced back just in time to catch the 6:30 bus, Tsuyu saying she needed to be back by seven.
"Of course," I said immediately.
"It seems like you are training really hard," she said, "Almost desperately. Why is that?"
"Oh, ummm," I stammered a bit, and smiled sadly, "Well, you see, I always wanted to be a Hero. I've studied them my whole life. And my friend did, too. Last Tuesday, he was killed by a Villain..."
"That explosion boy on the news? The one that Endeavour couldn't save?" she prompted.
"Yes," I nodded, "His mom was really hurting. So I ended up promising that I would become a Hero, for both of us."
"I see," she said thoughtfully.
"But there's a bit more to it," I continued, "You see, when I was four, I was told by a doctor that I was Quirkless. But last week, the day before Kacchan died, in fact, I got a power."
Back then, I assumed The Gamer appeared after I punched the barrier. Even now, I'm still not entirely sure when it happened. Besides I was excited to talk about powers, and was talking to a girl; even Gamer's Mind has its limits.
"I'm still trying to figure it out," I told her, "and I only have until next March to do that and get strong enough to make it into UA."
"And can I ask what your power is?" Tsuyu said carefully.
"It seems to be sort of a self-improvement power," I told her just as carefully, "I heal almost anything overnight, and if I work really hard, my naturally abilities grow faster than most people."
"Hmmm, that makes sense," she said, "You did pick up what I showed you really fast."
"And what about you, A... Tsuyu-chan?" I asked back, "You seem to be working just as hard as I am. You could have really hurt yourself in that fall yesterday."
"I have to help take care of my brother and sister," she answered after considering it for a moment, "I don't have a lot of time to train, so I have to make the most of it, ribbit. Yesterday was an exception, most Sundays I'd be with them, but yesterday they went to a friend's birthday party."
"Tsuyu," I grabbed her hand lightly, "I'll do everything I can to make sure I don't waste a minute of your precious free time."
"Thanks, Izuku-kun. Me too."
The next week went by like a blur. We met every day after school, Asui was always there first. Her school was more traditional, she still had a half-day of classes on Saturday. But I waited for her after my morning training, and we had lunch together before working out in the afternoon. Sunday, like she said, she wasn't there, so I took it easier for my Mom.
It was the second Thursday after we met. And when I got to the park, Asui wasn't waiting for me. I wondered if she had gone ahead for some reason. Or was in one of the restrooms, changing. But I waited a bit, and then checked. They were all empty. So were the lockers. I went to the edge of the entrance area, staring into the forest as hard as I could, and occasionally triggering Analyze. I didn't want to go further in, in case she was just running late. But when five o'clock rolled around and she still wasn't there, I headed in. Checked all of our usual spots, and spread out from there, just in case.
I made it back just in time for the last bus. There had been no sign of her.
"Izuku, what's wrong?" Mom was waiting by the door, since I was late. But she noticed my expression as soon as I came in, and grew worried instead of scolding me.
"Mom, has there been anything on the news?" I asked quickly, "Any accidents? Or Villain attacks?"
My mind couldn't help but go straight to Kacchan and what had happened to him.
"No, nothing like that," she answered, "Why?"
"Asui-san wasn't at the Endoru today," I told her, "She said yesterday that she would see me today, but she never showed up. I looked all over the forest, in case she got hurt, but there was no sign of her. I'm worried something might have happened. Even if it wasn't a Villain attack, she still might have been kidnapped..."
Secretly, I was worried that I had driven her off. Done or said something stupid. I knew she wasn't the type to do that, but I couldn't help but remember my life until now.
"Did you call her?" Mom asked.
"I..." I blinked, "I don't have her number."
"You don't?"
"I always kept my phone in my Inventory, to keep it safe," I answered, "And I haven't exactly had a lot of people to exchange numbers with. And I never saw her phone, either. Maybe her parents don't let her have one."
I considered that, and wilted a bit.
"I'm a terrible friend," I said, "I barely know anything about her."
"Izuku," my Mom grabbed my shoulders lightly, "Don't think the worst yet. Maybe she is sick, or got caught up at school. And you didn't ask for her phone number, but she didn't ask for yours, either."
I nodded.
"Just go back there tomorrow," Mom advised me, "If she isn't there again, then we can start to worry. Try to see if we can find her. And if she is there, make sure to at least ask for her number. Or give her yours if she doesn't have a cellular of her own."
I nodded again.
Despite my Mom's reassurances, and Gamer's Mind, I was still a bit of a wreck the next day at school. I still gave it my all, now that Kacchan was gone, I was determined to make it to number two in our grade. Since I knew I could never take number one away from Mizuno-san. At least not without min-maxing to focus on my mental attributes and skills.
There was a familiar figure, standing by the picnic table. I ran across the parking lot, and just barely restrained myself from hugging her.
"Asui-san," I said quickly, "You're here. I was... I was worried."
"Sorry," she said, then added, "and call me Tsuyu."
"Right, Tsuyu-chan," I corrected myself, "And you don't have to be sorry. But I was thinking... if you don't mind... maybe we could exchange phone numbers? In case something happens."
She brightened up at that, and fished out her phone. I got mine out too, and a quick IR exchange added us to each other's contact list.
"I should have thought of that earlier," she admitted, "But I've only ever exchanged numbers with one friend before."
"You are my first phone friend," I told her.
"Not your friend who..." she trailed off, not wanting to remind me.
"We had drifted apart, before my Mom let me get a phone," I told her. Then I looked her in the eye and asked carefully, "Is it okay if I ask what happened yesterday?"
"My sister was sick," she said, "Her Quirk makes her sensitive to light, and she is still learning to control it. When she doesn't, she gets symptoms like a migraine. But it's not a migraine, so migraine medicines don't work on it. So I had to pick her up from school and take care of her. I did think about you, but didn't have any way to contact you. I wasn't even sure if you had a phone."
"Me too," I told her, "I was thinking, I've been so focused on our training, that I've been a bad friend and haven't really gotten to know you. So, let's start over a bit."
I bowed to her, "Hello. My name is Midoriya Izuku, age 14. I'm a third year at Aldera Junior High in Musutafa. I live in Musutafa with my mother, while my father works in America. Pleased to meet you, please take care of me."
Tsuyu smiled, and bowed as well, "My name is Asui Tsuyu, age 14. I'm a third year at Danchuin Academy in Hosu..."
Then she frowned slightly, trailing off.
"Izuku, I wasn't exactly honest with you," she said, "I said I help take care of my brother and sister. But actually, my parents work out of the country most of the time. All around Europe and Australia. We're lucky if either one of the them is home more than a week each month. We get help from neighbors, and my aunt checks in sometimes. But mostly I take care of them. That's why I need to be back by 7. Their school has program for parents who work later or have a long travel time, but I need to pick them up before then. Sorry I didn't tell you."
"It's okay," I told her, "We've only known each other a week."
I studied her for a moment, then asked, "Tsuyu-chan, do you trust me?"
"I think so," she answered, putting her finger to her lips and tilting her head, "Why?"
"I want us to skip training," I said, "and I want you to come with me somewhere."
"Where?"
"Home," I told her, "My mom has been asking to meet you, and I think it's a good idea."
"You want me to babysit?" my mother parroted.
"You want her to babysit?" Tsuyu asked.
Asui agreed to come home with me. I introduced her to Mom, and Mom to her. We talked briefly about training, and then I convinced Tsuyu to tell Mom about herself. Then I presented my idea.
"Well, I was hoping if you two got along, and if you were willing and Tsuyu thought her siblings would be okay with it," I explained, "then she could bring them over on Sundays, or at least some Sundays, and you could watch them while we train."
They both considered it, and considered each other.
"No offense to Asui-san or her parents," Mom said, "but I don't like the idea of a fourteen year old girl being primary caregiver to two young children. I'm sure you've done a fine job, but you really should have more time to yourself, to be a teenage girl."
"I can't really disagree with that," Tsuyu admitted, "I love my brother and sister, and know my parents are working hard for our family, but it can be tough sometimes."
"So then..." I prompted.
"Asui-san," Mom addressed her, "What if you and your brother and sister come over this Sunday? We can all get to know each other. And then if you are all okay with it, we can do something like what Izuku suggested. You all can come over on Sundays, I will watch your siblings while you two train, and then we can all have dinner together. And I'd also like you to have my phone number, in case anything like yesterday happens, or just if you need some help in general. What do you think?"
"I think you are a very nice lady," Asui said, "Like your son. So I think we can try it. And call me Tsuyu."
"I like your mom," Tsuyu told me, when she arrived at the park the next day, "And I am looking forward to tomorrow."
"She likes you, too."
May ended, and June begin, and with it Tsuyu's namesake, the infamous Japanese rainy season. Though so far it had been lighter than usual. So we had been able to keep training. A couple of downpours had got us, but we had discovered a rocky outcropping, almost a shallow cave, that we could hide in.
We were back around to Sunday, the third one in June. My mom and the Asui kids, Samidare and Satsuki, were now well used to spending the day together. And Samidare had said he liked "liked Inko-oba-san's cooking much better than big sis's slop", to Tsuyu's annoyance and my mom's embarrassment.
We got off the bus, and went into separate bathroom stalls to change. Though I just used Inventory to swap. I also now had the first set of weights attached to my gear.
"So what should we do today?" I asked, pantomiming putting my bag in a locker and dropping a coin in, "You didn't like boxing, so we could go back to karate."
"I have another idea," she said.
"Okay, what is it?" I asked, curiously.
"It's a surprise. Just follow me."
We had pretty well explored Endoru Park by now. I wouldn't have said we knew every nook and cranny, but we were not going to easily get lost there. Still, we tended to stay close to the entrance, simply for access to the facilities. Tsuyu led me deeper in than usual, but it didn't take me long to figure out where we were going.
The treeline broke, and we walked out onto the beach surrounding the lake. We had come here occasionally, to run on the sand for the extra resistance, or just to cool our feet in the water after a hard day's workout. So I wasn't sure at first how this qualified as a surprise. Until Tsuyu reached down to the hem of her shirt and started to lift it.
"Asui-san!" I squeaked, closing my eyes, "What are do youing?
"Hmm?" What did you say?" Tsuyu didn't correct me about her name. And her normally flat voice had an unusual tone I didn't recognize.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm taking off my shirt," she said evenly, "Otherwise it would get wet."
I couldn't help myself. I peeked. With her shirt off, I could see she wasn't wearing a bra. No, no, not like that. She had on a bikini top. Not like a sexy one, either. It was a sporty one, in two tones of green. It only showed a little cleavage, but revealed all of her shoulders and her toned stomach.
"You are going swimming," I realized.
"Well, I was hoping you would, too," she said, "It's a good, low impact, resistance workout. Plus, it's an important skill for Heroes to have. You never can tell when you might face a Villain with water powers, or just by a body of water."
As she said that, she undid the tie on her pants. And dropped them, revealing a matching boy-short type bottoms. I tried not to stare, but it was tough.
"But I... I don't have a swimsuit with me," I stammered a bit, "I don't even know if my old one still fits."
"Well, your tracksuit is like a swimsuit," she suggested, "Lightweight synthetic materials that shed water. Just take off your top, shoes, and weights, and roll up your pants."
"Take off my shirt?" I looked at her.
"Well, you would have to anyway if you were in a swimsuit," she deadpanned. Then another head tilt and finger raise later, she added, "Unless you wore one of those weird, old fashion swimsuits. But who would want to do that?"
I grimaced and nodded. I partially undressed like she suggested, and secretly transferred my boxers into me Inventory, so they wouldn't get soaked. As I did, I noticed her eyes locked onto me, her expression hard to read.
"I knew it," I mumbled, and jumped into the water so I could hide myself.
"No need to be in such a hurry," Tsuyu said.
"Mom," I turned to her after the Asui siblings left for the night, "I know I said I wouldn't ask for anything else after my training gear and books. But... well... I kind of need a new swimsuit. Tsuyu thinks I need to get better at swimming and..."
For a moment, I could have sworn I saw the kanji 孫 in her eyes.
Current Status:
Name: Izuku Midoriya
Age: 14
Level: 3
Active Title: The Gamer
Health: 62/64
Energy: 73/83
Attributes:
(S)trength: 10
(A)gility: 12
(E)ndurance: 14
(Q)uickness: 14
(W)it: 21
(I)ntuition: 20
(C)harisma: 7
(D)etermination: 14
(L)uck: 3
Unused Points:
Attribute: 14
Skill: 3
Talent: 1
Skills:
Modern Tech (W): 13
Computer Gaming (W/A): 15
Japanese Language (W/C): 12
English Language (W/C): 6
Scientific Method (W/I): 6
Oral Hygiene (C): 6
Analyze (W): 12
Mathematics, Basic (W): 6
Dodge (A): 4
Chemistry, Basic (I): 4
Creative Writing (C): 2
Software Methodology (W): 1
JavaScript ES11 (W): 1
Telekinesis (I/D): 11
Strength Training (S): 4
Basic Karate (A): 12
Boxing (S): 9
Parkour (A/Q): 14
Yoga (A/E): 6
Physical Resistance (E/D): 5
Running (Q/E): 9
Climbing (S): 8
Swimming (S/A): 1
Talents:
Studious
Gamer's Body
Gamer's Mind
Telekinesis, Basic
Inventory II
Reflective Dungeon
Author's Note:孫 = grandchildren.
